I awoke wondering what time it was. Light was seeping through the curtains but everywhere was quiet. I squinted at my watch without wearing my glasses and was confused it looked like 8.30 but that couldn’t be possible the alarm had been set for 7.15 and I hadn’t heard it go off.

I put my watch down intending to check it again in a few minutes when I was less fuzzy headed. Meanwhile Mr C had roused, checked his watch and realised it was 8.30. This led to a mad dash around to get ready in time to get to breakfast – before it finished.

Mr C was convinced he had set the alarm and neither of us could understand why we had slept through it. Later in the day he realised that when setting the alarm for the duration of our stay he had missed our first morning off.

Breakfast was continental style and, although a little more limited, reminded me of the breakfasts that were on offer during our visit to Rome in August 2024.

After breakfast we walked into town intending to catch a bus to Montecassino Abbey. On the way to the square where we thought the nearest bus stop was located, we stopped off for a refreshing drink.

We didn’t see a single bus so we decided to head towards the railway station where the main bus station is also located. After seeing no buses as we walked, we abandoned the idea, deciding to use the hire car instead.

The drive up the mountain road to the Abbey was a little scary with sheer drops and hairpin bends. The journey was worth the effort; the Abbey is wonderful and peaceful and has an interesting museum that, amongst other exhibits, displays fragments of the original Abbey which during WWII was almost completely destroyed by targeted allied bombing. There is a story about that bombing to be told which I will share in a separate post.

Back in town, we parked the car at the hotel and headed into town with a view to an afternoon cake. Unfortunately, the cake shop was about to close but next door was a shop selling Gelato. A temptation too hard to resist.

Later we dined in Lustri Lab, a fish restaurant which wasn’t due to open until 8 o’clock. We had arrived shortly before 8 but the chef was happy for us to enter the restaurant early. The food and service were amazing, there was even a footstool to place my handbag on.

We received an Amuse Bouche and bruschetta before Mr C’s starter arrived. The starter was bluefish carpaccio, served raw and it was very good. For my main course I had chosen a cod dish but, when it arrived it, turned out to be a pasta dish with cod. Mr C had not been listening properly and had focused on what I was saying about the pasta dish. Whilst we were dining the heavens opened and there was a heavy downfall of rain.

Our first port of call for a nightcap turned out to be unfriendly, customers were not welcomed and made to feel that they shouldn’t be there. We didn’t linger long, moving round the corner to the street where, on the previous evening we were watching the ladies promenading up and down the street.

We settled ourselves in the Botanical cocktail bar where the atmosphere was comfortable and the service attentive. The proprietor kept adjusting the tables as people left to make the space more welcoming. We lingered a while before returning to our hotel for the night.